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By BRETT WILKISON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday endorsed a plan to increase the network of county roads designated for long-term maintenance by 63 miles, about 5 percent of the 1,382-mile network.
The move, which requires formal adoption at a later date, would bring the county’s so-called priority road network — the routes identified for long-term maintenance because of their federal funding or importance for regional travel — to 219 miles, roughly 16 percent of the total network.
The added miles — representing 39 roads — include a 5.4-mile stretch of Bennett Valley Road from Grange Road to Warm Springs Road, a stretch that Bennett Valley residents lobbied to have restored to the priority network.
Other major segments to be added include 8.2 miles of Valley Ford Road from Highway 1 to Tomales Road and 6.1 miles of Graton Road from Bohemian Highway to Highway 116.
Most of the segments are in good shape now, and the aim is to focus long-term maintenance efforts on them to keep them that way, said Phil Demery, director of the county’s Transportation and Public Works Department, which prepared the plan.
“This is to keep the good roads good,” he said Tuesday.
The plan comes as a sequel to the supervisors’ decision last October to designate 150 miles of heavily traveled roads for pavement preservation, the county’s label for long-term maintenance that includes sealing and resurfacing as needed.
In August, six miles of road were added to the list.
The plan is driven by maintenance costs that officials said far exceed the county’s share of federal and state gas tax revenue, the main source of funding for road upkeep. Property tax revenue, by contrast, provides just half a cent of every dollar for road funding.
The gas tax revenue formulas are based on the volume of fuel pumped and they have not changed since the early 1990s, county officials said. They also tend to favor more urban areas, they said.
“Even in good economic times, our funding was inadequate,” Demery said Tuesday. “This problem began 20 years ago and it’s progressively gotten worse.”
Supervisors agreed on Tuesday to send a letter to transportation officials lobbying for a change in the revenue allocation.
Going forward, all county roads not on the priority list — currently more than 1,200 miles — would still qualify for some maintenance, including pothole repair, debris removal, drainage ditch clearance and bridge maintenance. But without further pavement work those roads likely will crumble and would have to be turned to gravel in the long term, public works officials said.
The additional 63 miles of priority roads would require doubling the amount the county currently spends on pavement preservation. The new figure would be $9 million.
Supervisors agreed to study several ways to cover those costs. The board endorsed a proposal to divert up to $2.2 million a year in solid waste franchise fees collected from garbage haulers and to look at increasing the hotel bed tax, a move that could generate up to $2.5 million.
They also agreed to study cost-cutting proposals, including a reduction in brush clearing along roadsides — a service that currently costs the county $3.3 million a year — and a shift in ownership and upkeep of some dead-end roads to private landowners.
The board is set to resume its discussion of the issue early next year and adopt a plan before the start of the next fiscal year in July.
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I got linked to this article through a forum I keep up on while traveling doing political activism.
http://www.dailypaul.com/219559/fighting-agenda-21-in-sonoma-county
I’ll be back in my hometown of Sonoma in April. Looks like I’ll have plenty of local work to do.
Public Transit is great, but we need to also retain our freedom of transportation.
We need to take a look at our County and City budgets and see what is going on. There is no reason for us to have these short comings.
Perhaps a Sonoma County Municipality Bank, that can take its profits on loans to be reinvested in infrastructure would be a good thing to look into. The County and participating Cities can keep their accounts there, it can make low interest loans to small businesses and first time home owners, and put the profits back into the budget.
Additionally, we should consider, if it doesn’t happen at the state level, legalizing Marijuana for adult consumption and tax it at the County Level.
Both of these items can be taken care of through public ballot in the next election cycle.
We should also stop chasing out Indian Casinos from our County and welcome the tax revenue. We had it happen in the city of Sonoma, where the tribe was more than willing to take care of all our demands, yet was still denied a place across the street from Sears Point (I still call it Sears Point).
There is obviously going to be a lot of waste found if we perform a forensic audit, so let’s do that. We have one of the highest County GDPs in the world (last I checked it was higher than 38 other Countries, that’s right, Nation-States).
If the Democratic Leadership in Sonoma County is unwilling to make necessary reforms, let’s start electing Greens into office; who have been promoting everything I mention for years.
Like I said, looks like I got some work ahead of me when I get home.
The fact that the County continues to pursue other money pits, (ie. SMART, a Power Cooperative), while ignoring our fundamental transportation infrastructure is beyond a disgrace.
The fact that their pay and benefits are far more lavish that of State Legislators, amongst many others, is a crime.
These people deserve nothing but scorn.
This so-called expansion is from nothing to almost nothing. What a sham. I see a day when the county government is ensconced in a golden palace with our county in ruins all around it.
Incrementalism, steal 85% of the roads we pay for (it is theft).
Then give back 5% in conjunction with this press release to create an illusion of good will (propaganda).
Token appeasement, throwing us a bone.
THEN, raise taxes persuant to same.
They did give it a warm ‘n fuzzy name though, that always makes it more palitable to the casual observer.
‘Revenue relief’, if memory serves.
The oppressive march continues. 4 steps forward, 1 step back is still 3 steps forward.
It does seem a bit hypocritical to claim the road maintainence is not funded when the BOS passes a bond measure for funding their pensions that were not funded. Well-we only have ourselves to blame for electing the foxes to guard the henhouse.
Thank you, Social Dis-Ease for a great analysis.
Everything that is happening now was intended to happen by your government.
Our elected officials are not representing us, they are representing ICLEI. They have signed on to the ICLEI charter. They have designated a staff person to implement the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives dictates. In the guise of environmental concern they are building the hardscape for totalitarianism.
Although this sounds like rhetoric it is in fact the truth.
The Federal transportation system of roads is a military requirement; it is clear that mobility is vital to our nation. But local mobility is now considered by our County Supervisors as a threat to the ICLEI plan of restricted transportation. Pulverizing the roads is a graphic example of how advanced the plan for the 21st century is. Sustainable Development is UN Agenda 21. Agenda 21 is the plan for the 21st century.
This is not a conspiracy theory. This is a conspiracy fact. The underhandedness of the Board of Supervisors is clear in their behavior when threatened (REPEAL SMART petition.)
Valerie Brown is on the national board of ICLEI. ICLEI trains government officials and gives them sample ordinances and policies. This is happening all over the nation.
Everywhere.
All across our country people are rising up and demanding that cities and counties KICK ICLEI OUT. Our General Plans are infected and must be purged.
Please see our websites for more information.
Democrats Against UN Agenda 21
Post Sustainability Institute
Santa Rosa Neighborhood Coalition
Crumbs from the hands of the politicos. Don’t we all feel better now that 5% of the roads are going to be maintained?
The county incompetence in budgeting for road maintenance and county employee pensions seem obvious. You cannot have basic county services and pay outragious pensions.
The county answer, more taxes and beg the feds for more tax money.
These are problems that have been known about for years. They have been ignored and kicked down the road. So much for planning and budgeting.
OK, this is 100% Agenda 21/ICLEI.
This move combined with the Smart Train are two important steps towards an oppressive landscape they call
‘Smart Growth’.
Allow me to show you the whole picture,
it isn’t what you had in mind for yourself or your children.
You managed to hold on to your American Dream despite the government’s best efforts thus far.
Now incrementally the taxes, interest, the oppressive regulations, code enforcement carrying out ever increasing ordinances on your well, your septic, inexplicable energy(Smart Meter) and water rate increases, the mandatory ‘green energy retrofit program’(wait), the Title 24 efficientcy mandates imposed as a prerequisite to the permit for your new roof.
It goes on and on.
You can’t refinance.
Now, that the dream can seem more like a nightmare. Now that they’ve made blue-chip real estate more like a liability than an asset…this.
They are going to de-fund maintenance of your road and 80% of rural country roads!
The idea. The socially engineered steering behind this takes aim at the two fixtures in our life we’ve strived for-our home and our automobile.
Financial independence and freedom.
Agenda 21′s goal is for it to be so expensive, so inconvenient, that those
stacked’n packed mixed use soviet dormitories start to look good, possibly out of necessity.
Sell the car, join the other peasants.
THAT is the goal.
The Agenda outlines your impoverishment and containment and your county is signed up, on board, obediant. ICLEI training, software. Money.
Makes their positions ‘sustaiable’.
A complete plan for complete control.
An oppressor doesn’t want you spread out across the countryside, that’s like herding cats.
Why isn’t there money for the most basic, traditional expectations?
You know, your kid’s school, favorite park, the road to your home.
Mostly because our infected local government has installed redevelopment
in our towns.
This evil fascist restructuring serves as a funding mechanism for ‘Smart Growth’ and various infrastructure pursuant to their dark scenario. But it sabotages the Free Market, property rights, and siphons off funds from the local municipal coffers previously earmarked to serve us.
What effect will having roads that look like a third world country have on your property value, your quality of life?
A detrimental effect, that’s the intention.
MTC is holding most of the grant money right now, largely through One Bay Area funding. The main condition tied to that grant money is that there is to be no development approved outside the ‘transportation corridor’.
‘Priority Development Areas’.
That’s right. UN American planning directive based on an unwanted over priced train, THAT’S NOT IN PLACE!
Pretty unbelievable and arrogant huh? See why the train is so important to them?
One Bay Area is a forfeiture of what local influence and sovereignty we have left.
They want it to be one big UN model of socially engineered oppression.
Pissed yet?
You should be.
This would be a good time for Jake Macenzie to chime in and lay some polished up propaganda on us.
He’ll have a chance tentatively set for Jan. 9th at the Finley Center.
Might be a good idea to show up, tell ‘em what your ‘vision’ is.
I hope we all recognize the gravity of the situation we are in.
Think Europe circa 1930.
Search:
*Dr. Michael Coffman’s
Smart Growth Fraud.
*The Wildlands Project.
*Democrats Against UN Agenda 21.
*Santa Rosa Neighborhood Coalition.
*The Post Sustainability Institute.
*Freedom Advocates.
*Search Agenda 21 on Youtube
All transit money is supposed to go to the train.
Never mind roads, when we all live in Railroad Square in a high-rise. ( no smoking allowed) we won’t need cars anymore.
(sarcasm for those that don’t get it)
The County will simply use the road funds to fund their public benefits. The road maintenance will not happen. Its the usual shell game of government. The usual deception.
Thank god we will have a train so we don’t need to drive on the streets anymore !
Bennett Valley Road is a alternate route to Glen Ellen and further South. Arnold Drive takes you to 121 South and 12 east. It is HEAVILY traveled and should be maintained. People who take this route are coming up crane canyon or from east Santa Rosa and want to avoid all the lights along highway 12. It’s also a scenic route.